Tuolumne River

The Tuolumne River’s headwaters start deep in Yosemite National Park. The river runs for 150 miles before draining into the San Joaquin River.

The river starts high in the mountains with the Dana and Lyell Forks. These converge in Tuolumne Meadows, the largest alpine meadow in the Sierras. From here, the river flows through the Muir Gorge and into the Hetch Hetchy reservoir.

Eighty-four miles of the river have been designated as Wild and Scenic Waterways, 54 of which are in Yosemite National Park.

Historic runs of Chinook salmon were estimated at over 130,000 fish, but now less 1% of the historic runs return to spawn.